Stick a fork in us.. we're done.

Actually, we have cooked for a while. The town needs over 100 million dollars today just to meet health care obligations owed today to current and former employees of the town and tens of millions more to fund pension obligations already owed to employees. Despite the effective bankruptcy of North Andover and nearly every other city and town in Massachusetts, local and state governments continue to fund raises the only deepen the debt of the town. By failing to budget based on actual liabilities incurred and just using the cash in and out method, government budgeting make Bernie Madoff look like a good guy. In truth, government accounting is the biggest fraud ever perpetrated on Americans, as the federal government now owes nearly $300,000 per American, despite never being put in a budget by politicians and we in North Andover owe close to 3 years of property taxes, that have never been budgeted. Sadly, the FinCom and Town Meeting only look at a budget that excludes the growth of these unfunded obligations, principally post retirement health care and actual pension obligations, despite the audited financials statements of the town showing millions of dollars of deficits being incurred in a year that the fraudulent budget, presented to Town Meeting is supposely balanced.

"DiSalvo has attempted to assuage that concern by promising to run Town Meeting in a fair, nonpartisan way.At the recent League of Women Voters debate, saying he would diversify the Finance Committee with 'diametrically opposed' members." (http://northandover.patch.com/articles/disalvo-responds-to-partisanship-uproar)

This is a joke, right? He's already breaking his campaign promises.

Good Morning!
Great to have your blood pumping so early! Looking forward to seeing you at the bimonthly Finance Committee Meetings.
Cheers,

Bill Callahan

Good work Mark. You've diversified the leftist representation on the Finnance Committee.

Karin Blake lives in Edgewood Retirement community which is a beautiful place. Does she pay property taxes or is Edgewood exempt? If she does not pay property taxes, how can the actual tax payers value her opinion on whether property taxes should be raised?

Callahan is a known leftist who never saw an override he did not support.

Nadeau, the longtime North Andover community advocate, will also 'impartially' support raising costs and taxes.

The Finance Committee opinion will now be thoroughly discounted. Let's see how many spending increasing they actively oppose at Town Meeting.

As I stated above.. North Andover Citizens and Taxpayers will be broiled to a crisp. The community activists now have usurped the Power of the Gavel, Control of the Finance Committee, the School Board, the candidate debating platform (L.W.Voters), and the Press (Patch,Townsman, Citizen). GAME OVER.

oh Michael, so cranky today.

Bill & Mike, I am not sure if they are largest, but the facility was approved by Town Meeting with a direct representation that it would be taxable property. While "management" attempted to double cross the Town and seek an exemption from taxation a few years ago, the Town prevailed. However Mike, whether a citizen pays "property" taxes or not is NOT relevant and your comment was too personal. I will or will not value her opinion based on what she says and does, not the size of her tax bill.

Didn't Mr. Quinlan run for school committee without putting his kids thru the public school system? Don't virtually all government officials weigh in on matters that have no direct bearing on their own lives? I have strong opinions about the Red Sox. Are they invalid because I never played for them? Nipping at heels with bogus complaints is not an effective opposition.

Mr Quinlan: you make a hypocritical statement about about Ms. Blake's qualifications and then accuse others of not displaying integrity. Positively Clintonian--attack the person, not the logic.

There are hundreds of avenues to poke holes at liberal spending agendas. But the arguments are diminished when reduced to an angry snipe. If the Fincom goes radical, we will need level fact-based opposition. Being nasty straight out of the box--before they've even made any policy recommendation--doesn't help. If you used an alias I would not have bothered--but because you typically stand up at town meeting I'm concerned your on-line demeanor will hurt better arguments. Offending people loses votes. Let Tripp retain the voice of the conservatives, he does a good job.

Your integrity is also in question when you invoke a double standard. I'd rather have a phony name and sound logic than the reverse.

So you admit to not having integrity. How bold.

Bill Kelly is correct. I finally looked at the link Bill provided and there is info that monthly fees do cover propery taxes. My question is answered; Karen is directly affected by rising property taxes.